Michelle Teheux: Paying the price for misplaced priorities

Michelle Teheux

Friday

Jun 26, 2009 at 12:01 AMJun 26, 2009 at 1:25 PM

As a generally frugal person, I am often heard claiming I cannot afford something. And we’ve all heard other people, of all income levels, mention the various things they cannot afford. We’re all starting to sound like Illinois legislators — or the governor — claiming we cannot afford things when in most cases the truth is not that we cannot afford them but that we have other priorities.

As a generally frugal person, I am often heard claiming I cannot afford something. And we’ve all heard other people, of all income levels, mention the various things they cannot afford.

We’re all starting to sound like Illinois legislators — or the governor — claiming we cannot afford things when in most cases the truth is not that we cannot afford them but that we have other priorities.

According to me, I cannot afford cable TV, while a friend with a deluxe cable package says she cannot afford a laptop. I believe the world would come to an end if I were laptopless, but I don’t want cable.

Nondrinkers say they cannot afford to spend money on booze, and nonsmokers say they could never afford cigarettes. As an occasional drinker and a former smoker, I can guarantee that if they really wanted these things, they’d find a way to afford them.

While I’d be telling the truth if I said I can’t afford to buy a Swiss chalet, if I really wanted to I certainly could afford cable TV. Or professional manicures. Or even a second car for my family.

Plenty of people in my income range spend their money on things like that all the time.

But they might not spend their money on other things I think I have to have. Everyone’s priorities are different.

Currently, our great state is saying it cannot afford such “frills” as the needs of foster children or the elderly. Yet it appears legislators’ paychecks aren’t in danger of being cut. And we are still offering state pension benefits far beyond what is usually available in the private sector.

Like I said, not counting your Swiss chalets and such, most of us will find funds for our biggest priorities. In this state, the priority is not the care of helpless children or needy elderly.

Now, if I had children or elderly people in my house I couldn’t adequately care for, the first thing I’d do is find some luxuries to cut. Goodbye real French perfume, goodbye occasional bottle of Jack Daniels and goodbye lots of other things.

The second thing I would do is find another source of income. I would likely do a bit of both — cut a few extras and add a bit more income. But in no case would I just decide to stop taking care of the children or elderly people in my house.

Here in Illinois, however, we have chosen instead to squabble over whether we ought to make cuts or add income, and to heck with our most vulnerable citizens, not to mention myriad other state needs.

It’s not that I’m crazy about the idea of raising taxes, either. But we’ve ignored our budget problems in this state for years to the point that now I don’t see an alternative. I like the idea of making some adjustments to the rates so the poorest people among us — those who really aren’t kidding when they say they cannot afford to buy a new pair of shoes — aren’t hurt.

When we say we cannot afford to pay every state worker a fat pension, build and maintain all the roads we need, provide care for foster children and the elderly, and run government just as we have been, all without new funds, we’re telling the truth. Of course we can’t do everything.

But when we say we cannot afford to fund things like DCFS, what we mean is that beaten and neglected children just aren’t a priority.

If we’d done the right things in this state all along, we probably wouldn’t need a tax increase now. But political power plays have been a higher priority than anything else, and we taxpayers/voters have not demanded better. Now either we pay the price, or our children will.

We cannot afford to wait.

Michelle Teheux can be reached at (309) 346-1111 or at mteheux@pekintimes.com.